Learning to Be Alpha

Moving In

**Jessie's POV

As I finished my story, I realized that as I had talked Axel's arms had tightened around me and he had pulled me into his lap. I turned to look at him as the last sigh left my lips, I noticed a few tears on his cheek. I quickly reached up, wiped them away, and kissed his cheek.

"Jessie, I am so sorry you had to go through all of that alone. I wish I could have been there to protect you and help you. I hate that you had to suffer at all, especially since I was so close all this time," he told me with sadness pooled in his eyes.

I smiled sweetly at him, "It's not like you had it much better than I did. I am just glad you are happy, safe and loved. You have no reason to feel guilty, you hadn't even met me yet, and no one knew I was here. I made sure of that."

His eyes shined with an emotion that I could not quite make out. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I played with the end of his hair, trying to calm him down. I didn't want him to pity me or feel like he let me down, he had a rough start in life himself. 

"I don't pity you, love." He could read read my thoughts by the look in my eyes. "But I feel awful that you have been struggling alone for so long. If I'd come out here sooner, I could have..."

"Axel, stop it. What I have been through has taught me that I wasn't being a very good Alpha Female at my former pack, it taught me to be stronger, taught me to stand up for what is mine, to fight when I need to whether is to be with words or with claw and fang. I became a better me because of my experiences. In a way, I am grateful to my former pack for pushing me out and making me stand on my own two feet." I made sure he could hear the truth in my words. He had absolutely no reason to feel bad, he was here now and was making steps to take care of me. He was making me feel, secure, and wanted.

"Spoken like a true Alpha and Queen," Zeus chimed in.

I reluctantly moved my eyes from Axel's beautiful, soul capturing grey eyes to look at everyone else in the room. I noticed that Cristin and Isaiah both had tears in their eyes and their mates were trying to comfort them by rubbing light circles on their backs and holding them close. 

"Jessie, I would love for you to join our pack and move to the pack house with us. We can train you and teach what it means to be in a pack again and what in means to be an Alpha. You can also teach and train us on how you have dealt with the rogues, witches, vampires, and everything else on your own. Our pack could greatly benefit with your knowledge and skills. Not only that, you are Axel's mate and an Alpha by right. Your father was a very good man and friend of mine; your mother was an amazing Luna and good friend of Cristin's, I would be honored if you allowed me to take care of you and look after you as one of my own. What do you say?" Zeus asked me.

I looked to Axel and saw that no matter what I decided, he was not going to let me go. I needed to learn about why we have been marked as the King and Queen, I need to learn what all Axel read in that library, I need to learn to be a mate and what all comes with that, and I need to learn to be a part of a pack again. I turned to look Zeus in the eye and responded, "Ok. I'll come back with you guys. But I would like to be able to come back here, this had been my safe haven for a long time and it means a lot to me."

"Of course you can come back, Jessie. I told you, this place is important to me too, even more so now that I found you. I will be by your side through it all, I promise." Axel responded before anyone could deny my request, he reached up to grab my chin and move my face to look at him. "I am so glad you are willing to come to the pack house, thank you for giving this a chance. I don't think I would have handled us being separated very well."

"I don't want to be apart from you either, Axel. That is one of the reasons I decided to go with you guys. You are my mate, and you have been so kind and sweet to me. I need to be with you too." I honestly couldn't stand the idea of being separated from him, he responded with a bright smile that had my heart racing a mile a minute. "Can I stay in your room though? I don't think I would feel safe by myself in a house full of wolves I don't know or trust."

Axel quickly looked to Cristin and Zeus. They were giving us a look, clearly showing that they did not approve of this idea. As our faces began to fall and Axel was clearly scared that I would refuse to come back with them, and then Cristin began laughing. "Of course you can stay in his room, silly. You are mates, and we would never dream of separating you two in any way. You are family now, Jessie. We just want you to be happy."

Tears filled my eyes at her words, I jumped off of Axel's lap and ran into Cristin's arms. Axel growled a bit at the loss of contact but signed when he realized I was crying. Cristin lightly rubbed my back, trying to comfort and calm me. It wasn't until I felt Axel's hand on my back that I was able to relax and catch my breath. I slowly stepped back and into Axel's arms, I looked at Cristin and Zeus, "Thank you so much. I haven't had anyone to help me in a long time. Sorry about that."

"It's quite alright, dear. Oh, I forgot. I brought you some clothes, everything should fit. I think at least." She put her bag down and reached into it, pulling out a pair of black stretch pants, a purple stretch shirt, a tan bra, and tan panties. "I know they aren't very cute, but they should fit."

I froze when I saw the bra, I had never worn one before. I looked up to Cristin and tried to relay my concern with my eyes. Cristin tilted her head in confusion but after a few minutes seemed to catch on to the issue. 

"Jessie, how about I come with you so that we can make sure everything fits properly? Is there a room that you can change in?" She offered.

I was so grateful that she was willing to help me. "Yeah, it is right this way. Thank you."

"Of course, dear. We will also have to take a little shopping trip to get you some of your own clothes." She said excitedly. She turned to Zeus and squealed, "I finally have a daughter to dress up!"

As we entered my bedroom, I could here the guys laughing. "Thank you for helping me, Luna. I have never worn a bra before but I didn't want to say that in front of the guys."

"First, just call me Cristin, Jessie. There is no need for you to call me Luna when you are apart of out family. Besides you are an Alpha, you out rank me, dear." She said with a gorgeous smile on her  lips. "I'm sorry it look me so long to pick up that you needed my help. You probably were on your own when it was time for you have your first bra, so you wouldn't know how to wear one. I can explain how to wear it or I can help you put it on. Whatever you feel more comfortable with."

"Can you help me? I have lived on my own long enough that I am comfortable in my with my body." I told her. Honestly being naked in front of people meant nothing to me. When you live in the wild, naked or dressed is basically the same thing.

"Ok, go put on everything but your bra and top. And then I will show you how to put on the bra, ok?" She said in a motherly voice.

I walked over to the bed and laid down all the clothes. I took off my leaf outfit off, set it aside, and quickly put on the panties and pants. I liked that the pants were stretchy, they were comfortable even though it was weird to be wearing pants again. I turned back to Cristin, who had her back to me, and said "Ok, I am ready."

She walked over to me, and helped me put on the bra as she explained what to do. After she finished, she explained to me that the bra was a little to small, how she knew it was too small, and that we would need to go to the store. As I put on my shirt, she said, "I would also like to get you checked by the pack doctor and gynecologist. You should have been seeing one for years. I want to make sure you are ok and healthy."

"Ok. Can Axel come with me? The last time I went to a doctor, I was still scared of getting shots." I asked her.

"You can if you want but a gynecologist is a doctor that checks your reproductive organs and tests everything to make sure you are ok. If you are comfortable with Axel going that is fine but if not I can go with you to that one if you'd prefer." She explained to me.

"Oh, I didn't know. Yes, I think I would prefer if you came with me for that one." I said as a blush crept onto my cheeks.

"No need to be embarrassed, Jessie. It is something every woman has to deal with. I meant what I said, dear, you are family now. We will take care of you." She said as she hugged me. She pulled away and started walking out the door to join the guys. "I also have socks and shoes for you, but I wasn't sure if you'd want them as you are not used to wearing shoes anymore."

"I'd like to give them a try." I told her as we joined the guys. "I have learned that walking on rocks barefoot is a real bitch."

As we entered the room, the guys went silent. Until Axel finally spoke as he made his way over to me, "Jessie, you look beautiful."

Once again, I felt my cheeks warm and the blush to creep over them. 

**Axel's POV

Seeing my mate walk out happily with my mom stirred something in me. Both my wolf and I were very proud of our mate, she was taking all of these changes in stride. I could tell she was nervous and scared about everything going on but she was accepting each new challenge with her held high and an eagerness to move forward. 

Duke: Mate is stunning.

Axel: I know. We are easily the luckiest wolf in the world. 

Duke: We are truly blessed by the moon goddess. Even if she hadn't marked us as King. Giving us Jessie still would have made us the luckiest wolf in the world.

Axel: I agree

I walked over to Jessie who was now sitting in the couch. I looked into her eyes and could tell she was adjusting to her clothes. "Are you ok, love? Are the clothes comfortable? Do I need to go the the store and get you some different sizes? I could go and be back in about hour, or I can take you..."

"Axel, I am fine. Just adjusting wearing normal clothes again. I forgot what they felt like," she told me with an embarrassed smile. "Thank you for worrying about my comfort though. If you would help me put on my shoes, I would appreciate it. It's been awhile since I've had to tie a shoelace and I am not sure I remember how to do it."

"Anything for you, Jessie. Sit back and I'll put them on you." I said grinning from ear to ear. I love that she is already letting me take care of her, even in such a small way. I brushed my knuckles along her cheek. "I promised to be by your side through all of this, and I intend to keep that promise."

Cristin handed me a pair of black converse shoes and some white socks. I sat on the floor in front of Jessie, and rolled the bottom of her pants up slightly. I grabbed her right foot and propped it on my leg. I slid her sock on, and pulled on the shoe. "Do they fit, Jessie?"

I felt her wiggling her toes around, and she smiled, "They are a little tight but they will work until Cristin and I go shopping."

I heard Cristin squeal behind me, and I laughed to myself. She was clearly happy to have a daughter-in-law to dote on. As I started to tie her shoe, lifting it so she could see what I was doing, I asked, "Can I join the two of you on your shopping trip?" Even I could hear the jealousy in my voice as I asked. 

Cristin giggled behind me saying, "You hate going shopping with me Axel."

Jessie's eyes filled with guilt and concern, "Axel, you don't have to do something you hate just because of me. I want you to be happy and do things you enjoy."

As I finished her tying her other shoe, I smiled and looked into her stunning blue eyes. "Being with you makes me happy. I don't care what we are doing. I just want to spend more time with you, that's what makes me the happiest."

The cutest blush covered her cheeks, and I couldn't resist cupping her face in my hands. I gently leaned my forehead to hers and took in her amazing scent. We stared into each other's eyes, lost in each other's presence until we heard my mom sigh out, "Aww, honey, look at our baby all grown up with his mate. I should have brought my camera."

I chuckled and so did Jessie. We pulled back from each other, but I gently grabbed her hands in mine. She gave me a megawatt smile that made my breath stutter and my heart skip a beat. "I want to spend more time with you too, Axel. Of course you can come with us, as long as Cristin doesn't mind."

My head instantly whipped to my mom, I knew my eyes were pleading with her. "Oh honey, of course you can. Why don't we all go before we head to the pack house?"

She was met with a round of okays from everyone but my dad. My mom looked at him with one eyebrow raised, her expression clearly saying, don't even think about challenging my decision. Dad just shook his head and laughed. "Alright, let's go. We can't go over board or not everyone will fit in the car on the ride back home. But before we go, Jessie, I just want to be sure that no one knows you are here?"

Her eyes dropped to the floor, "No. They all assumed I would be killed by rogues because I was so young and still a pup. I don't think anyone even knows or cares that I am alive."

I instantly pulled her into my arms to tell her I am here and that I care. I wanted her know that she would never be alone again. I wanted to comfort her but Zeus continued, "Do you have any features that would be identifiable on you that would make someone realize who you are? Who your parents are."

Jessie stiffened in my arms and I shot my dad a glare. "I looked like my dad when I was younger, but I don't know if I do anymore."

Zeus shook his head no. "You have similar features, but you look a lot like your mom. However, that could easily be explained that you are a niece. I think we should be fine then. I just want to make sure to keep you safe in case any of your former pack members are looking for you."

She nodded her head in understanding, but then said, "Oh, but my daddy always called me his little caramel because of my hair. And I know the caramel coloring in my hair is more pronounced now then it was then. Everyone in my old pack knows my nickname."

I looked at my dad, I loved her hair and didn't even want to think of my dad making her dye it or something stupid like that. But he finally spoke and relieved my fears, "I think that will be fine. There are a lot of hair colors similar to yours. But I will have to agree, your hair color is the exact color of caramel. It's quite unique and beautiful."

"Thank you," she replied sadly. I rubbed her back and smiled at her. I knew she was thinking about her parents. She eventually began to relax and smiled back at me.

"Ok, enough of the heavy. Lets shop, bitches!" My mom yelled, making us all burst into laughter. Hearing Jessie's laugh made Duke purr in contentment in my head. I chuckled to myself and Jessie looked at me smiling.

We all made our way outside to dad's pride and joy, his black full size SUV. He said that when I take over the pack, it will be mine but I don't think that is actually going to happen. Dad loves his car way to much and I could never take it away from him. 

Mom and dad climbed in the front seats with dad driving, Eric and Isaiah climbed in the back seats, leaving Jessie and I to the middle seats. Jessie looked hesitantly at me, and whispered, "I don't have an money for clothes, Axel. We can't really go shopping yet. I need to get a job first."

I looked at my mate, shocked. "Jessie, you do not need any money. One you are my mate and I want to take care of you, two you are still a minor so by werewolf law you are the responsibility of the pack, and last, my parents are not going to let you pay for anything anyways. My mom is beyond thrilled to have a daughter-in-law to spoil and dote on."

She raised her eyebrow at me and smirked, "Daughter-in-law huh? Pretty sure you haven't asked me to marry you, Axel."

I laughed and shook my head, "I will once you fall in love with me and choose to be with me."

At that, she looked directly into my eyes, "I do want to be with you already, Axel. As for love, we will get there. I don't think it will take too long."

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my stupidly giddy face. I quickly kissed her cheek, "Come on, love. Let's get you some clothes."

She was still hesitant but thankfully she didn't continued to fight it. We climbed in the car and put on our seat belts. I was sitting behind my mom and Jessie was sitting behind my dad. Dad adjusted his rearview mirror, "Everyone ready to go?"

Jessie quickly unbuckled her seat belt, moved to the middle seat right next to me, and put her belt back on. I smiled and grabbed her hand, lacing my fingers with hers, "All set, dad."

We drove to the mall in the human territory which is about an hour from the lake. As we approached the main doors, mom informed us that she and Jessie were going to separate from us for a short period to buy Jessie's lady items. I blushed and just nodded my head, while my dad laughed and patted my back. 

"Why don't we go grab the girls some food?" I recommended, realizing I hadn't seen Jessie eat since I had met her. It was clear that she had been keeping herself well fed and fit, but I didn't want that to change now. 

"Good idea, son. Your mom will probably get hangry soon if we don't feed her. You know how she gets when she's hungry." Dad said laughing. Mom loves her food and she definitely gets mean if she starts getting too hungry. "How about we go grab some nachos and sodas?"

"Great idea. I also vote for something sweet too." Isaiah chimed in.

"Of course, babe." Eric immediately responded. "What would you like?"

"Chocolate covered strawberries and fudge." Isaiah replied excitedly. Eric just laughed and gave him a quick kiss. "I have the most amazing mate ever."

"Will you grab a little extra for Jessie?" I asked Eric. "I'm not sure what she would like or if she likes sweets but I'd like to have some for her just in case."

"You got it man." Eric said as he started towards the candy shop.

"Thanks." I hollered after him. "Ok, now nachos. I don't know if she'd want jalapenos on it or not. She is from Colorado but their chile is not hot at all. I'll just have them put them on the side."

"I'm proud of you, Axel." My dad told me. I could see the pride and love in this eyes. "She is a great girl who has been through a lot, and you are taking things slow for her. She is going to need that. You have grown to be a fine young man, mate, and soon, you will make for an amazing Alpha and King."

"Thanks, dad. If it weren't for you and mom, I never would have made it this far. You guys taught me everything and accepted me when no one else would. I am the man and mate I am because of you guys. I love you, dad." I told him giving him a hug.

After getting our food, we found a seat in the food court. Shortly after Eric came back with two bags of sweets and joined us. I was getting impatient to see Jessie. I wanted to know she was ok and safe, but I couldn't do that without her being with me. Just as my anxiety started to increase, I caught her amazing smell. Warm vanilla and cinnamon flooded my senses and I scanned the area to find my mate. My eyes landed on her as they made their way towards us carrying two bags each. I got up and ran towards them, I quickly offered to take their bags and led them to the table.

Jessie sat and looked at the food. She looked a bit nervous so I leaned over, and whispered in her ear causing her to shiver when my breath hit her, "I can get you something else if you want. I wasn't sure what to get you so we thought nachos may be the safest bet."

She turned to look at me with a small smile on her soft and oh so kissable lips, "It's ok. I will eat the nachos. I just haven't had soda in a very long time and I don't like spicy food."

"The nachos won't be spicy, I had them put the jalapenos on the side just in case. As for the soda, I can go get you a water, a sports drink, lemonade, a smoothi..." I wanted to make sure she was happy. But I was interrupted as she planted a quick kiss on my lips, which made me melt into a puddle of goo. She giggled at my reaction, which just made me smile even more.

Duke: You are a love sick fool.

Axel: Look who's talking, you have been wagging your tail this entire time and every time she smiles you purr like a pup.

Duke: I do not.

Axel: You do but I don't blame you, Duke. She is amazing.

Duke: Yeah, she is.

"Axel," Jessie said as she waived her hand in front of my eyes.

"Yes, love?" I snapped out of my conversation with Duke.

"I said I don't need anything else, thank you but it looked like you were talking to your wolf. Is everything ok?" Jessie's voice was laced with concern.

I softly ran my knuckles across her cheek. "Everything is great, Jessie. We were just talking about how we are both love sick fools over you."

She blushed again and turned her attention back to the the food. I chuckled and handed her a soda. We all sat and talked over lunch. I was glad to see that Jessie was openly talking to everyone without someone having to speak directly to her. She was opening up to us and that warmed my heart immensely. She was telling us some of this things she likes and doesn't like. 

"Ok, I ate my lunch. Time for dessert." Isaiah said like a little kid as he hopped in his seat. Eric laughed and started clearing the table so we could set out the sweets. 

"Axel asked me to grab some stuff just for you Jessie, but we weren't sure what you would like so I grabbed a few different things." Eric said as he put a few boxes of chocolate covered strawberries, a box of chocolate fudge, a cut caramel apple, and a box of cake pops on the table.

"Axel, will you pick something for me?" Jessie said happily. "I'm not sure what I'd like. I liked all kinds of sweets when I was little. I had a really bad sweet tooth, according to my mom."

"Of course, love." I replied, and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. I love when she asks me to do little things for her. I put a few strawberries, a few slices of caramel apple, and a cake pop on a plate. "Whatever you can't finish or don't want, I will eat."

She nodded her head and started with the cake pop. She moaned as she she chewed, and I felt myself getting turned on by her little moan. Damn, she is so sexy. I closed my eyes and took a quick breath to calm myself. When I opened my eyes, Jessie was offering me the other half of her cake pop with a smile on her face and I happily accepted it as she fed it to me. We continued this way, she ate half and fed me the other half, until we cleaned off the plate. 

"So what was your favorite, love?" I asked, excited to learn more about my mate's likes and dislikes. 

"Hmm. The apple thingy." She said happily, her eyes sparkling with delight. 

"It's a caramel apple." I smiled at her. "Caramel seems to be a common thing with you, love."

She giggled and it was like music to my ears. We packaged the unfinished sweets to take home with us, and started shopping. Mom made sure we hit every store in the mall, (and when I say every store, I mean literally every store), but she was shopping for everyone. Jessie had everything she could not only need but want. You name, mom bought it. Makeup, pajamas, books, movies. music, a cell phone, new bedroom decorations, shoes, clothes (formal and casual), jewelry, everything. By the time we were finished, I could the exhaustion in Jessie. "Mom, that's everything right? Jessie, needs to rest. This has been a very long day for her and she is worn out."

"Yes, that's everything." She gently rubbed Jessie's arm. "I'm sorry, Jessie. We are done, dear. Are you ok?"

My mate just smiled sweetly. "I'm ok. Just a lot happened today and I am a little tired. Thank you so much for everything and all of the help." 

My mom smiled and hugged Jessie, before her letting her go, "Let's go home."

"Jessie, hop on my back," I told her stopping and squatting in front of her. I didn't want her to overexert herself.

"Axel, no. You have bags to carry too. I don't want you to hurt yourself just because of me. Everyone is loaded down. I can make it to the car." She vehemently denied my offer.

"Love, I can carry you and the bags. Your arms will be around my neck, so you will be helping in holding yourself up too. I promise, it will be fine." I told her, not budging.

"He really can, Jessie." Isaiah chimed in. "I train with him everyday. He can carry you, and the bags without even breaking a sweat. Don't worry."

She hesitated but eventually climbed on. We all made our way outside of the mall to the car. We loaded everything in the car, but there were so many bags that Isaiah and Eric had to hold some of the bags in their laps for the drive home. Jessie sat in the middle seat on the trip home and I had encouraged to take a nap. She fell asleep with her head in my lap as I stroked her hair and I loved it. At some point on the drive home, I fell asleep too and  awoke as we pulled into the driveway. Everyone began climbing out and dad called over some omegas to help haul of the the clothing into my room. Cristin had run into the house to start making room for Jessie's belongings in my closet and room.

My sweet Jessie was still asleep. I gently shook her shoulder and called her name softly. I didn't want to startle her. It took a few tries before her eyes fluttered open.

**Jessie's POV

I woke up to the most amazing view, Axel looking down at me gently as he tried to wake me up. Today has been a roller coaster of emotions and I was worn out. From finding my mate, to finding out I'm marked to be Queen, meeting his parents, telling my story, and shopping.

Cristin had been amazing. She had pulled me away as soon as we hit the mall telling the guys we needed to get some lady items first, which I hadn't understood but Axel did. He had the cutest blush on his cheeks. When we were out of hearing range, she explained to me that we were going to buy panties, bras, makeup, shampoo, conditioner, hair styling supplies, pads, and tampons. The last two, embarrassingly, she had to explain to me what they were for. I hadn't gotten my first period, Cristin explained that too, until I was 13 and I was already alone at that point. My mom hadn't gotten the chance to fully explain it to me before she was taken away from me.

Cristin had told me again that she really meant what she said, that she looked at me as one of her own and would be doing everything she could to help me. She also had told me that she had grown up with my mom before mom met my dad. They had been good friends growing up, not super close but knew they could always count on each other. I knew I would need a lot of help from Cristin seeing as most of the makeup and hair supplies, I didn't know what exactly they were or how to use them.

"How are you feeling? Are you ok, sweets?" Axel's deep and sexy voice broke me out of my thoughts. God, I loved the sound of his voice. 

"Sweets?" I asked as he had not yet called me that.

He blushed slightly and said, "You said you had a sweet tooth when you were a kid and your dad called you little caramel. I am pretty sure you don't want to be called little caramel, but you are a sweet treat. So sweets truly matches you. Everything about you is sweet, wonderful, and makes me so happy. So I thought sweets would be ok. If not, I completely understand."

I giggled as he flustered his way through that. I was ok with being called sweets, I thought he explanation for the nickname was cute. "You can call me sweets, Axel."

He breathed out a sigh of relief and stroked my hair. I realized that we were alone in the car and jerked up. "Axel, we have to help everyone get everything inside, we can't leave them to haul all that stuff on their own. I can't believe I slept so long. I'm such an ass."

"Hey, hey, it's ok. You are not an ass. We all wanted you to rest and some of the other pack members came out to help, so it's ok. All of your stuff is in my room and Cristin was excited to get all set up for you." He said soothingly.

"Thank you for everything, Axel." I was so glad I met this amazing man. "I really like your friends and family too. Your mom was amazing today. I am so glad to have you as my mate."

Axel slid out of the car and held his hand out to me. "You are amazing too, my sweets. We all adore you and I am beyond thrilled that you are my mate. Now, are you ready to see your new home?"

I slid out of the car happily until I heard that last sentence, and I tensed up. My feet touched the ground but I was too scared to turn around.

Jessie: Moon, are you ready for this? Can we do this?

Moon: I am ready and so are you, Jessie. You are a strong and independent woman. Plus we have an amazingly supportive mate. 

Jessie: True, we are quite lucky.

Moon: Yes, we are. Now lets do this s**t. 

I smiled up at Axel and nodded. As I walked around the car and got my first full view of the house, my breath caught, "Holy shit..."